SPEED Notes: From Martinsville To Korea; Cope Twins Make History In Truck Series

Sprint Cup

SPEED Notes: From Martinsville To Korea; Cope Twins Make History In Truck Series

Brian Vickers will be a featured guest on Wednesday's edition of NASCAR Race Hub on SPEED...

Megan Englehart | Posted October 20, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Eighteen finalists are in the running for the 2010 Mario Andretti Trophy. (Image: SPEED)

COPE TWINS MAKE HISTORY AT MARTINSVILLE AS TRUCKS CONTINUE RATINGS RUN ON SPEED

NASCAR RACE HUB: The Hub (7 p.m. ET Monday-Thursday) on Wednesday features a sit-down interview with Brian Vickers.

On his initial hospitalization for blood clots:

“My lungs were shutting down,” Vickers said. “I was practically dying. The doctor told me what happened, and my response to him was, ‘Listen, I have practice Friday’…and he’s looking at me like, ‘Dude, you’re not going to be in a car for a long time, if ever.’”

On the No. 83 team’s current struggles without him:

“Everyone was coming to me asking these questions or looking for answers … that’s not fair - I’m not in the car,” Vickers said. “Are there things we need to work on? Yeah, obviously … if you run 35th every week, then you know something’s wrong … I don’t need to tell them that.”

Wednesday’s show also features interviews with Jeff Burton and Bobby Labonte, while Danielle Trotta reports on Kevin Harvick and Jeff Hammond stops by for analysis and tech talk.

Kyle Busch gives Ray Dunlap a tour of his brand-new Kyle Busch Motorsports shop on Thursday; James Buescher stops by the Hub; Larry McReynolds has a one-on-one interview with Steve Hallam, a former Formula One engineer now serving in the same capacity at Michael Waltrip Racing; and Hermie Sadler reports on the latest from Martinsville Speedway, site of this weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

For more show information, please visit http://www.speedtv.com/programs/nascar-race-hub/.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on SPEED.com - The Online Motorsports Authority

TRUCKS RETURN:: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action this weekend at Martinsville Speedway after a three-week hiatus. Up first is SPEED’s live coverage of final practice Friday at 1 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 6 p.m. ET. Krista Voda is live Saturday with the series’ pre-race show, NCWTS Setup at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by live race coverage at 1 p.m. ET. Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip will call the action from the booth, with Ray Dunlap, Adam Alexander and Voda reporting from pit road.

Amber and Angela Cope, Derrike Cope’s nieces, will become the first twins ever to compete in the same NASCAR event in Saturday’s Truck race at Martinsville, which also marks the 27-year-olds' NASCAR debut. The women, who will drive identically painted trucks, have been racing in other divisions since they were nine years old and hope to compete in at least one more of the season’s four remaining Truck Series races following Martinsville. Additional and tentative plans call for the twins to enter the ARCA Racing Series race next February at Daytona International Speedway, as well as other NASCAR events. The third-generation racers have tested twice with their uncle, Derrike Cope, in recent days in preparation for Martinsville.

Features in Saturday’s coverage from Martinsville include a look back at rookie Austin Dillon’s win at Las Vegas; revisiting the Ron Hornaday/Johnny Sauter post-race skirmish at Martinsville in March; Ray Dunlap’s trip to Nellis Air Force Base with Red Horse Racing; coverage of the grand opening of Kyle Busch Motorsports; and a look ahead to the Truck Series race at Talladega on Halloween weekend, with a frightening flashback to the SPEED on-air personalities’ past Halloween costumes (“The Wizard of Oz” and “Batman”). What will Talladega hold for the fearless (and obviously humble) on-air crew?

The Truck Series marches into Martinsville on an upward swing. After early season postponements at Daytona (rain) and Gateway (electrical) put the series in a ratings hole, the Trucks continue to build momentum with viewers, scoring increases in five of the last eight events (Pocono up 78%, Darlington up 19%, Bristol up 3%, Kentucky 115% and Las Vegas 17%). Since July, NCWTS ratings are up 10 percent year-to-year.

TONIGHT! NASCAR Race Hub 6 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday. (Image: SPEED)

NASCAR RACEDAY: On Sunday’s NASCAR RaceDay Built by The Home Depot, John Roberts, Kyle Petty and Kenny Wallace will preview the day’s event at Martinsville and offer analysis on the latest happenings in the sport, as well as the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup. Wendy Venturini and Hermie Sadler will have live interviews with Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray and Regan Smith. RaceDay airs live Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.

FORMULA ONE: SPEED kicks off its weekend presentation of the Korean Grand Prix Friday with live coverage of practice at 1 a.m. ET., followed by live qualifying Saturday at 1 a.m. ET. The network offers live race coverage from the Korean International Circuit Sunday beginning at 1:30 a.m. ET. The Korean Grand Prix marks the first of the three final races to the 2010 F1 championship.

TRACKSIDE: Krista Voda, Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond, Elliott Sadler and Rutledge Wood welcome Denny Hamlin, runner-up in points and the spring race winner at Martinsville, in addition to NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader Todd Bodine to the Trackside stage Friday night at Martinsville. Trackside on Friday airs at 7 p.m. ET.

WIND TUNNEL WITH DAVE DESPAIN: Dave Despain welcomes Don Miller, team owner and former Cup Series crewman, and Matt Hagan, NHRA Funny Car points leader, to Wind Tunnel on Sunday. Wind Tunnel airs live Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.

About SPEED™ - SPEED, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in more than 80 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.

About FOX Sports Media Group - FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching over 20 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.